A Glendale man is under investigation after police say his Labrador puppy was found dead on an apartment balcony in record heat.

Police say 28-year-old Adrian Gonzalez left the 1-year-old pup outside without shade or water Sunday. The high temperature that day registered at 113 degrees.

Neighbors told investigators that they heard the puppy whimpering Sunday afternoon and saw it hopping around as its paws burned, so they called police at about 3:40 p.m.

Nobody was home when police arrived, so they could not access the third-floor balcony, according to a police statement. Officers called the fire department to use their ladder to access the distressed animal.

By the time officers finally accessed the balcony, the dog had already died.

An emergency animal medical technician with the Arizona Humane Society arrived on the scene and tried to take the animal’s temperature, but it was unreadable: thermometers max out at 111.1 degrees, according to AHS public relations manager Bretta Nelson.

Nelson said the animal's body has been taken in for a necropsy, or an animal autopsy, and results are expected in five to seven days.

The apartment complex where the dog was left out on a balcony.(Photo: Alexis Egeland)

Glendale Police Department says it is conducting a criminal investigation and that the dog owner could face animal-cruelty charges, depending on the results of the necropsy.

No arrests have been made; the investigation is ongoing, police said Monday.

As the summer heat sets in, Glendale Police Department has the following pet recommendations:

Keep pets indoors.

Give pets access to cool water at all times, whether indoors or out.

Do not tether your pet. If they get tangled up, it will be difficult for them to access shade or water.

Neverleave your pet in a parked car. On a hot summer day, a car’s interior temperature can reach 200 degrees in just minutes. If you see a pet in a hot car, call 911, notify the business/security and stay with the vehicle.

If you witness a pet in distress, contact Arizona Humane Society's Emergency Field Dispatch at 602-997-7585, ext. 2073, or call 911. Failure to provide a pet with adequate water, shelter and/or leaving a pet in a car on a hot day is a violation of A.R.S. 13-2910 and is subject to prosecution.